Diphtheria, Meningitis, HPV Vaccines May Need Boosters Later in Life

[Sileree]

"Several new vaccines require booster shots to remain effective during a lifetime: Study"
http://www.news-medical.net/news/200...ime-Study.aspx

"... public health agencies, such as the Centers for Disease Control, must begin to consider the cost of booster shots as they calculate the cost-benefit of vaccines. Up to now, cost calculations for the introduction and public payment of meningitis vaccines and the cervical cancer vaccine have not included the need (and cost) of periodic boosters, nor the consequences of missed boosters with disease development later in life."

[JBaxter]

Well none of us saw those recommendations coming now did we?

[Deborah]

Hm. On diphtheria, there were outbreaks in Russia, which were blamed on drops in vaccination.

Well, okay. But there was the occasional case brought into Europe, where adult vax rates are just as bad as in the U.S. and there is no longer natural immunity from exposure to the disease...anyone hear of any huge outbreaks of diphtheria in Switzerland or Belgium or Sweden or...

anywhere but Russia where living conditions had dropped horrendously and alcoholism was common?

vaccines saved us!

Repeat daily. /sarcasm

[Marnica]

Originally Posted by Deborah

Hm. On diphtheria, there were outbreaks in Russia, which were blamed on drops in vaccination.

Well, okay. But there was the occasional case brought into Europe, where adult vax rates are just as bad as in the U.S. and there is no longer natural immunity from exposure to the disease...anyone hear of any huge outbreaks of diphtheria in Switzerland or Belgium or Sweden or...

anywhere but Russia where living conditions had dropped horrendously and alcoholism was common?

vaccines saved us!

Repeat daily. /sarcasm

[Sileree]

Originally Posted by JBaxter

Well none of us saw those recommendations coming now did we?

I know. Whoops!

[Sileree]

It does seem odd that many "experts' don't know that only 60% of adults are immune to diphtheria, so any "herd immunity", even if it worked for the toxoid, is non-existant.

[Emmeline II]

Originally Posted by JBaxter

Well none of us saw those recommendations coming now did we?

Complete and utter shock .

[Deborah]

I really like this article on the diphtheria statistics. Look at the graphs!

And this quote is good, too:

From an article by Geoffrey Edsall–Immunization of Adults Against Diptheria and Tetanus–presented in 1951 and published in 1952:

…generally agreed the relative susceptibility of adults to diphtheria is related to the steady decrease in the incidence of the disease, a decrease which in this country has proceeded almost without interruption for the past eighty years, and which has occurred in states with no extensive immunization programs as well as in those with long established programs.